Poor Man’s Lobster or Adventures in Alaska

What does my sister, a dead fish, Alaska, my teenage self, and a bed have in common? Read on to find out.

Last summer I had the opportunity to visit my sister who lives in Alaska. She has lived there for over twenty years, and this was my first (but not last) visit. It was an amazing adventure for me. I loved the fire weed, the amazingly beautiful scenery, enjoying sunsets over the ocean at 10:30 p.m., climbing to the top of a ginormous rock left by a glacier, playing in the ocean, being silly with my sister, and the good food my sister made for me.

As you know, Alaska means fish. Now I’ve never been much of a fish-eater, because of several traumatic, fish-related experiences. Despite that I do like clam chowder, and shrimp. I have also tried sushi (my daughters adore it) but it was just bleh for me. I still try it every now and then simply to confirm that I DON’T like it. But, my sister’s family eats a lot of fish, and it wasn’t sushi, so I was willing to give it a try. So one night for dinner she made Poor Man’s Lobster, and it was good. I even had seconds! So here is the recipe, and then the rest of the story.

Poor Man’s Lobster

8 cups water

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup salt

Bring to a boil.

Add 1 inch by 2 inch pieces salmon or halibut, with no bones.

Boil for 4 to 5 min or until pink (for salmon – halibut rises to the top). Scoop out with a slotted spoon.

Serve over rice. Drizzle garlic butter over the top.

Rice

Cook in a rice cooker, or follow package directions

Garlic Butter

1 cube butter

3or 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

Sautee garlic in butter, keep warm, be careful not to burn.

And stay tuned the rest of the story, coming up in another blog post soon.